While historically male-dominated, the Czech brewing industry features many talented women who are respected leaders and experts, driven simply by their passion for the science and art of creating exceptional beer. As part of our work with Budweiser Budvar, we noticed something interesting: that women seemed far more represented in Czech beer culture than might be expected or experienced elsewhere.

Budvar challenged us to continue sharing impactful stories from the Czech Republic, and this time we wanted to turn the focus on these women, demonstrating that while there is a long way to go yet, change in the brewing industry is happening. It was critical to demonstrate some of the challenges and difficulties faced by women while also showcasing their talent and expertise. Budvar doesn’t want to be like other brands with faceless, meaningless platitudes: they wanted to show real women brewing and serving great beer in the Czech Republic.

Our ‘Great Beer. For Everyone’ campaign celebrated three of these accomplished professionals through a stunning documentary-style film: Johana Potužníková, Head of Craft Partnerships at Budvar; Magda Hoppova, Head Beertender renowned for mastering the perfect pour; and Jitka Ilčíková, founder of the acclaimed spontaneous fermentation brewery Wild Creatures.

By focusing on their personal narratives and journeys rather than statistics, the emotive six-minute film grabbed viewers' attention in an incredibly authentic, powerful way. Transcending screens and borders, Budweiser Budvar's ‘Great Beer. For Everyone’ was a groundbreaking content-led campaign that harnessed bold storytelling to add fuel to global conversations around inclusion in brewing.

Strategically adapted into four languages and three global brand identities, the cinematic film deeply engaged viewers worldwide with 5.2M combined video views and an exceptional 62% watch-through rate across platforms, over double the sector average.

Our integrated approach included a premiere screening event in London, convening top beer writers and influencers for an immersive evening featuring the film, panel discussion, perfectly poured Budvar beer and elevated Czech cuisine pairings. This provided a unique brand experience for the tastemakers in attendance.

To amplify further, Untold facilitated press trips for top British and German media to experience the women's stories firsthand at Budvar's brewery, acclaimed beer bars like PULT, and trailblazing breweries like Wild Creatures featured in the film. This garnered over 100 earned media placements in influential outlets like Forbes, Stylist, and Foodism.

‘Great Beer. For Everyone’ seamlessly united creative excellence with an ingenious social strategy to become more than a marketing campaign. It was a cultural milestone proving that great beer transcends gender – and great storytelling transcends borders.

The power of show don’t tell

At its heart, the success of the ‘Great Beer. For Everyone’ campaign was down to the power of a great story. We focused on the real and personal stories of the three subjects of our film, and through them shone a natural, authentic light on the amazing women in the Czech beer industry. We amplified the message through bespoke press trips, setting up the conditions for generating meaningful organic content and creating a full circular campaign.

Our ethos of quality storytelling throughout the campaign enabled ‘Great Beer. For Everyone’ to speak to women and men worldwide in an authentic way, helping to move the discussions around this most important topic forward.

The campaign innovatively leveraged social as an interactive storytelling channel. Engaging reels, interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and external media features brought audiences closer to the film's subjects. ‘Great Beer. For Everyone’ drew 4.1 million cross-platform video views and an astonishing 22% engagement rate - over 20x the industry average. The total online reach exceeded 128 million. Their voices went beyond the screen into authentic dialogue brought vividly to life online.

But the numbers don't tell the full story of this consumer campaign's impact. By spotlighting real stories and role models, ‘Great Beer For Everyone’ sparked curiosity and inspired discussion about the incredible beers and brewing expertise found across genders in Czech culture.

Overtaking competitors

This dynamic social approach led to a reach of over 30m and staggering engagement rates 20x the industry average at 22% – testament to the campaign's power to captivate its viewers as active participants in an increasingly ‘swipe-left’ culture.

- Over 100 key press and influencer placements including Forbes, Stylist and Foodism.

- A fulfilling, thought-provoking and engaging story leading to 4,173,686 cross-platform video views

- Over 50% watch-through of the whole six-minute film

- One film in four languages and three visual identities

- A combined online reach of over 128 million

- A combined 40 bespoke posts for Budvar across different territories, including influencer coverage, resulting in 1.4 million combined social media reach

- 22% social engagement (20x the industry average)